INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE: Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference, any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents and printed matter cited or referred to in this application.
This invention relates generally to watercraft and more particularly to an enclosed boat enabled for surface and subsurface operation and for control of cavitation in a turbine reaction force propulsion drive.
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Lang, U.S. Des. 210,755 describes a submersible watercraft design.
Rowe, U.S. Des. 318,843 describes a submersible hydrofoil design.
Ishigaki, U.S. Des. 408,779 describes a motorboat design.
Frechette, U.D. Des. 415,464 describes a submarine boat design.
McInvale, U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,664 describes a marine vehicle comprising: a hull having a man-carrying compartment which is open to entry of water from the surrounding body of water in which the vehicle is located; ballast tanks in said hull each having upper and lower portions and located on opposite sides of the mancarrying compartment, said tanks being adapted for providing sufficient buoyancy to maintain the vehicle afloat notwithstanding the presence of water in the man-carrying compartment; manually controllable means movable in a given direction for admitting water into said ballast tanks for causing said vehicle to sink; a waterproof housing in said hull; an electric motor operatively mounted within said housing; and waterproof electric power-supply means operatively connected to the electric motor for energizing said electric motor; said vehicle further comprising a normally closed air outlet valve for said tanks; means connecting said valve between the upper portions of said tanks and the exterior of the vehicle; a control handle on said valve movable from a first position in which said valve is closed to a second position in which said valve is open; and linkage means connected to the manually controllable means for engaging the control handle and moving the same to its second position upon the manually controllable means being moved in said given direction.
Gass, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,722 describes a semi-submersible marine craft for operation on the surface or in a semi-submerged condition having a pair of spaced parallel tubular water ballast floats disposed horizontally on either side of a vertical middle plane. The floats are disposed symmetrically relative to a central nacelle incorporating the power unit for propelling the craft and comprising a watertight cabin for the passengers. Control apparatus are provided for submerging and surfacing the craft, and the necessary control and safety apparatus for operating the craft. The floats and the nacelle have a frame structure made of an assembly of stainless steel sections, which are covered by a skin of synthetic material. The nacelle has a cabin with a transparent semi-spherical front portion and side windows. On top of the cabin is hingedly mounted a dome for entry into the craft. Releasable ballast are disposed under the nacelle. Flotation control is provided by inflating and deflating air-inflatable balloons enclosed in the side tubular floats and for variably controlling the buoyancy of the craft by controlling the volumes of water ballast entering and leaving the tubular water ballast floats.
Neil et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,066 describes a self-propelled submersible vehicle which comprises a hull and a cockpit defined within the hull, a transparent dome on the top of the hull formed with the cockpit and enclosure walls defining the cockpit within the hull. The cockpit is open ended at the bottom thereof, and the hull is non-watertight. Compressed air tanks are provided in the hull, and these tanks communicate with a regulator valve which provides a constant flow of air into the cockpit forming an air bubble providing a breathable section of the cockpit for the passengers. An air exhaust device is incorporated with the regulator valve assembly for controlling the volume of the air bubble within the cockpit in response to the water level within the cockpit.
Rowe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,952 describes a watercraft having positive static buoyancy is provided which is operable both as a hydrofoil and submersible vessel. It is generally shaped in the form of a dolphin or porpoise, with the equivalent of fins acting as both navigation and attitude control mechanisms. Pectoral or forward fins provide hydrofoil struts when manipulated into one position and then are operable as diving planes when displaced into an alternate position. A dorsal fin provides supplemental rudder control. A pair of flukes or rear fins provide for pitch and/or dive control while the vessel operates in the submerged mode. These fins and a propulsion system are either manually or computer controlled by way of hand held joysticks and foot rudders. Submerged operation is achieved with an internal combustion motor by including an air compressor and air storage tank(s) with an air intake arrangement having automatically operable devices serving to open and close an air intake in response to exposure to water. The vessel also provides positive static buoyancy in the event of any systems failure while submerged. If the vessel incurs an impact, a rear hull section containing the fuel tank is jettisoned to avoid fire or explosion. The vessel is capable of limited ballistic flight above the surface of the water, due to a combination of relatively high subsurface velocities attainable and the natural positive buoyancy of the craft, which may be used to enable it to break well clear of the surface.
Kohnen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,309 describes a hybrid boat and underwater craft and method for operating an underwater craft having positive buoyancy, a three-point stabilization system and vertical thruster and a system for enhanced buoyancy at the surface.
Onofri, EP0321372 describes a self-propelled manned submersible vehicle of the type comprising a pressure-resistant capsule serving as a cabin, ballast tanks, releasable ballast, propulsion units having propellers driven by electric motors, and storage batteries, the pressure-resistant capsule comprises a peripheral window constituted by a vertical cylindrical sleeve which is entirely transparent, the sleeve is of sufficient diameter to house a plurality of people sitting side-by-side, and extends upwardly from a hemispherical bottom and downwardly from a spherical cap which is extended by a cylindrical conning tower which is closed by a hatch.
The prior art teaches a variety of pointed nose sea crafts including boats and sleds, and submersibles, but does not teach such a craft capable of avoiding cavitation in a turbine drive system by the use of reaction doors. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.
A water craft apparatus has an elongated hull with turbine propulsion drive adapted for ingesting water at a turbine water intake and for ejecting the water, with high velocity, at a turbine water outlet. A plurality of water suction apertures are arranged along both a starboard and a port portions of the hull, and these are in communication, through an intake manifold, with the turbine at the water intake for delivering the water from the body of water to the turbine. A plurality of aperture doors are hingably mounted on the hull, each one of the plurality of aperture doors is movable between an open attitude spaced outwardly from the one of the water suction apertures enabling admittance of the water into the intake manifold, and a closed attitude positioned for sealing the one of the water suction apertures. The apertures span a longitudinal distance along the hull. The longitudinal distance exceeds a horizontal length of a wave cycle of the body of water. The aperture doors are closed automatically when the surface level of the body of water moves below any of the aperture.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method of use of such apparatus that provides advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide such an invention capable of moving efficiently through a body of water.
A further objective is to provide such an invention capable of avoiding cavitation in a turbine when water intakes are above the water surface.
A still further objective is to provide such an invention capable of replacing fuel with water as the fuel is depleted in the fuel tank.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.